Stranded
by Art n' Music
Summary: After an explosion, the two well-known leaders of the Storm Hawks and Cyclonia are now marooned on an unnamed Terra far from any civilization. While their friends, and soldiers, search for them, Aerrow starts seeing the great master in a new light as he learns of her past. "I guess Piper is right about me. I am a lonely girl who desperately wants a friend."
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Calamity in Cyclonia**

A boy of age sixteen walks through the metal hallways of a flying ship famously known as the Condor. The door opens, sending a gust of air to blow through his messy red hair, and he looks around the bridge with olive green eyes at his teammates. Piper, a brown-skinned girl with blue hair sticking upward by a band, looks at some maps and squadron logs on the central table. Finn and Junko, a blonde haired, skinny man and a dinosaur-like beast, are busy having an eating contest at the kitchen. Radarr, a blue-furred creature that looks like a lemur with long ears, busily snores on the round couch. And Stork, a green-skinned Merb with greasy black hair and a strong case of paranoia, steers the ship across the yellow skies of Atmos. Aerrow, the leader of the group known as the Storm Hawks, smiles before stepping into the bridge, predicting his team's expression when he tells them the news.

Piper's the first one to notice Aerrow walk in and she asks, "Hey Aerrow, what's up?"

"Do I have news for you guys," he says excitedly. The other friends turn away from their duties and Finn, noticing a certain glint in his leader's eyes, says, "Wait, you have that I-have-a-wild-and-reckless-plan look in your eyes. What is it?"

"Well you're right, Finn. I do have a plan in mind."

"Of course," Stork interjects, sliding over to the group in his usual, over-cautious walk, "a plan, I might add, that will most likely lead to our doom and destruction."

Aerrow says, "Doom, not so much. But there will be plenty of destruction."

"Alright, I'm in. What'cha got?" the sharpshooter eagerly asks.

"I've just heard that Cyclonis is working on a new toy that she states 'will surely bring all of Atmos to their knees'. So I was thinking that we sneak into Cyclonia, get inside the fortress, and destroy the machine before Cyclonis can start it up."

The carrier pilot mutters, "I knew it. Doom and destruction."

"I like it. Short and to the point," Finn says.

"So, we're all good with the plan?"

Everyone agrees, with the exception of a paranoid Stork, and Piper goes ahead and plots a course to stealthily enter Cyclonia. Aerrow grins wider and announces, "This is going to be fun."

* * *

Amongst the red clouds and fog is one outcropping full of hangers and spires. Inside, at the very top of the city, is a young, pale girl about sixteen years old. Her black hair that glows unusually purple is hidden underneath the spiny hood and reaches down to barely touch her shoulder. Her slender fingers, nails painted black, press against a bunch of keys, sending many mechanical arms to grab a certain glowing crystal and dispose it inside the large machine at the end of the room. Master Cyclonis adds more power to her crystal when she hears the door behind her creak open, signaling a Talon is at the doorstep. "Is the machine ready?"

"Yes, Master Cyclonis. Everything is charged and operational," the Talon says, saluting to the master.

"Good. Now leave." When she hears the door slam close, the crystal mage stops her typing and walks to the side of her machine where a slot sits. She grabs the handle and pulls to let a bright purple radiance emits. She reaches inside and takes out a light purple stone, the center glowing pure white, and she grins wickedly. The crystal mage then hears the door open again and turns to see her most loyal Talon. "Ah, Dark Ace. Come to see the show up close?"

"Master Cyclonis, I am skeptical about this plan you have," he says.

"What's there to be skeptical about?" She walks down and the two head down a hallway to the machine that's part of Cyclonis's plan. The loyal Talon says, "Call it a hunch. This plan, I think, seems to be missing a few pieces of the equation. Not to mention the Storm Hawks dropping by to foil us again."

"If the Storm Hawks do come then you'll just have to delay them like usual."

"Delay?"

"I will not have anyone stop me now. _Conquest is so close I can practically taste it_," she whispers, a dark, separate voice echoing in the background.

"But still, I have some doubt about all of this."

"You doubt my plan?"

Dark Ace plainly says, "No. I doubt the machine. Before, I had some doubt about the Storm Engine but every theory was carefully analyzed. This machine has some holes in its speculations that look too great to ignore."

"You're exaggerating, Dark Ace. I have calculated everything. And with this crystal," she holds up the light purple stone, "it'll have enough juice to wipe out an entire quadrant."

"If you say so, Master Cyclonis."

Master and soldier finish their walk through the fortress and come to a fairly large room with the roof missing, letting the red sky be seen above. In the middle of the room is a bulky machine topped with a shaft that has four spikes on the front. The middle of the shaft is covered in small red crystals and the same rocks also speckle the base of the machine. Cyclonis walks up and sets her made crystal on a stand inside a glass case. She closes it and starts typing on an old-fashion keypad, making the spiked chute whir to life and rise over the walls that slowly bend down, pointing to the sky. The crystal mage grins diabolically and asks, "Now, which Terra should I obliterate first?"

"How about Cyclonia? I'm sure everyone will love that."

The master and Dark Ace quickly pivot around, the latter getting his sword out. Jumping out of the shadow is none other than the leader of the Storm Hawks, Aerrow, holding his blue-glowing, twin blades, his co-pilot Radarr at his side. The two Cyclonians grimace and Cyclonis asks, "How did you get here?"

"How else? We flew here," he kids. "Now, the right thing to do would be to shut down the machine, but we all know that's never going to happen so why ask?"

The crystal mage looks around the large room and smirks, asking, "Where's your other friends, Aerrow?"

"They're a little busy. Right now, it's just you and me."

Cyclonis smiles wider. "That's where you're wrong." She snaps her fingers and the doors burst open. Talons with glowing pole-arms hurry in and surround the sky knight. The surrounded Storm Hawk scans the Talons when the Dark Ace gloats, "Not so tough now, are you Aerrow?"

"Actually, it all went according to plan," he smirks before raising a hand. "And you'll see why in three, two, one."

On cue, the ground below the Cyclonian guards start shaking, shocking everyone except the sky knight, and then all the soldiers fall down when the metal floor collapses. Aerrow and Radarr quickly jump to a safer platform before he can fall with them.

From the newly-made hole, Junko, Finn, and Piper jump up in front with weapons ready. The leader turns back to the master with his victorious grin. "So, you ready to surrender?"

The Cyclonian leader snarls but then looks behind the Storm Hawks before smiling again. "You're not the only one with backup."

The Storm Hawks stare at her in confusion when a sound of a pulled string alerts the leader of someone behind him. He turns his head and has just enough time to dodge a glowing-red arrow that flies past his head. He turns around and sees Cyclonis's other henchmen, Ravess and Snipe, the tall, magenta-haired girl having a few feathers in her hair. "Thanks for giving us that issue with that stanker crystal!" Snipe snarls.

"Not to mention that little dilemma with the chickens!" adds his enraged sister.

Finn says, "Heh heh, my idea."

The red-haired sky knight turns back to his nemesis who asks, "Now, are _you_ ready to surrender?"

Aerrow turns away from her to look at the doomsday machine then shouts, "Storm Hawks, destroy the weapon!"

Immediately, everyone takes action. While the squadron battles the Cyclonians, Aerrow goes straight for the machine. He was about to bring it out of commission when a red blade stops him in his tracks. Following the blade, he finds the other end being held by the smirking Dark Ace. The redhead smiles and asks, "Ready to get beat again, Dark Ace?"

"I don't think so." He swings, forcing Aerrow away from the weapon and the two fights just like old times. Meanwhile, the two crystal experts duel alone, using crystal energy to try and get the upper hand. Piper fires a blast of ice from a frost crystal attached to her staff, but Cyclonis melts it with a blazer. "Oh, come on Piper. That's the best you can do after two years?"

"You wanna see what I can do? Well, here it is!" She uses her Solaris crystal to send an intense light and momentarily blind her enemy before sending a white ray at her. The master smiles and dodges the attack before sending the expert back with a blast from her crystal. The expert flies across the room and crashes on the opposite wall, slumping on the ground all discombobulated. Satisfied, Cyclonis turns to another small fight to see Aerrow, again, overpowering her right-hand man. He knocks the sword away then kicks the Dark Ace into a statue, which topples on top of him. The sky knight grins but then looks at the master and dodges a purple shot from her staff. He turns back to her when she says, "You may have been lucky in the past, sky knight, but this is where it ends."

"For once, I agree," he smirks, "but different ending."

The Cyclonia leader throws another beam at him before attacking with her staff. The redhead quickly dodges the crystal energy and blocks the staff between his blades and pushing it down before taking a swing. Cyclonis ducks to trip her attacker then, when he's down, she thrusts down the end with the extended spikes straight at Aerrow's heart. With his eyes wide, he quickly grabs two spikes to keep the fatal blow away. The master grins, seeing victory mere moments away, but the sky knight quickly puts his legs underneath her and kicks her away while pushing the staff away, making the witch fly over the sky knight with a scream. He gets up and looks at the glowing stone in the center, slowly charging the machine. "Say goodbye to your energy source, Cyclonis." He focuses on his center and slowly starts glowing blue. He jumps and sends a large ray, known as the Lightning Claw, to the crystal, creating fractures on the front upon impact.

"No!" the witch screams.

Purple energy starts erupting from the crystal, growing beyond the glass case and shooting electricity everywhere. Winds from nowhere start blowing toward it and a low hum emits, catching everyone's attention. Cyclonis gets up and asks, "Do you realize what you've done?!"

"Um, maybe the same thing I did with your Storm Engine," he says cockily, "I shut it down."

"You arrogant sky knight! You didn't destroy it! The crystal is overwhelming with energy!"

"Uh, come again?" Finn asks.

A frightened Piper answers, "She means the crystal and the machine's going to explode!"

"Oh. WHAT!?"

Aerrow looks back at the charging crystal then orders his squadron, "Everyone back to the Condor!"

The Storm Hawks try to make a beeline to the hangar but Snipe roars and knocks Junko, who was closest to the door, back with his mace, blocking the only exit.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Cyclonis barks before resuming her attack. The Storm Hawks leader quickly jumps over her and lands near the ticking time bomb. She snarls and twirls her staff, sending another purple blast at her pest. The redhead reacts by ducking, making the ray dash just millimeters from the tip of his hair and into the crystal, making the purple glow turn white and hum louder. Aerrow turns to it and says, "That might've not been the best decision." His eyes widen and he quickly grabs the staff before the master can do some real damage. The two struggle with only the purple staff the line. Piper notices the crystal's light growing larger and she screams, "Aerrow, we need to get out!"

Hearing her, the said-person pushes the leader away and tries to follow after his friends, who are busy keeping the Talons busy, but Cyclonis pulls out a red crystal out and sends a hand of energy to grab the sky knight and throw him against the wall.

The overcharged crystal sends a ring of energy everywhere, sending everyone except the two closest against the wall. Cyclonis and Aerrow turn toward it, which is roaring with energy and shaking the entire room, with utter fear overwhelming their minds. Suddenly, a light brighter than a solaris crystal shrouds the room and blinds everyone, preventing them from seeing their leaders. The sound of a crystal shattering with force echoes and a great blast of heat hit the Storm Hawks and Cyclonians before the light vanishes. The two teams move their hands away and find the machine ripped and twisted to an unrecognizable shape and dull purple shards littering around the base. But something is missing.

Dark Ace shouts, "Master Cyclonis!"

"Aerrow?" Piper says worriedly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Alone**

The Storm Hawks and Cyclonians look around the battered room for their leaders, still shocked to move. But there are not many places to hide in the bare room and they can't find their leader and his pet or Cyclonis.

"Aerrow? Radarr?" Piper calls again despite the lack of friends.

Finn asks, "Where'd they go?" He looks back and screams, ducking just before a glowing mace smashes his head apart. He quickly backs up while the others turn back to their enemies, who ready their weapons. Ravess aims a multitude of arrows at the Storm Hawks and let's them loose. The friends quickly dodge them all and the sharpshooter says in a panicky tone, "Well, it's been nice but we gotta get going," before running toward the edge. The others hastily follow, confusing the three highest commands. The siblings walk over to the edge where their nemesis vanished and a familiar low horn greets them as the Condor flies up to view, the Storm Hawks on the runway. Stork turns the ship around and sends it zooming away from the tower. The two commanding officers watch it disappear and Snipe asks, "What do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The magenta-haired sister says. "Someone needs to take command, now that the little brat is gone."

"Alright, but who will be leader of Cyclonia?"

"Well, I think the master should be-"

"Me."

They turn around and see Dark Ace pushing the statue away and getting back on his feet. "As highest commander, I think it should only be right that I take command of the Terra."

"But if I'm in command," Ravess starts, "I would have this squadron be nothing but perfect. With everything flawless, we would surely bring all of Atmos to their knees."

"Yeah right," the large brute chuckles, "I should be master. No squadron would be big enough to defeat me!"

Dark Ace says, "Oh please. You two can barely command your own squad. But, if you really want to be leader," He activates his weapon, "Try and defeat me."

The siblings turn to each other then grins. The older sibling lets loose a volley of arrows at the veteran and Snipe charges like a bull. The Dark Ace smashes all the arrows and knocks the mace out of the large brute's hands, much to the surprise of the two. The veteran lands some concentrated blows then jumps and kicks Snipe's face, sending him crashing onto a surprised Ravess. They groan and slowly look up to see a red glowing blade pointed at them. The conqueror smirks and the magenta-haired woman asks, "What do you want us to do, master?"

The new master deactivates his sword and puts it on his back before answering, "First off, we need to tell the Cyclonians the change of leadership. Get all Talons to meet in the throne room."

The officers get up and salute before carrying out their orders. When they disappear from view, Dark Ace looks outside and grins evilly.

Later the same day, Talons chatter everywhere in the throne room. The babble echoes around the spacious room to almost blaring volume, but it all ends when the Dark Ace walks in and halts on the podium that once held the late Master Cyclonis's throne. Everyone stands at attention to the highest commander. Once he's sure everyone is quiet, Dark Ace says, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice, Talons. I despise beating around the bush so I'll be straight." Everyone glances around, wondering what the right hand man of Cyclonis has to say, and wondering why Cyclonis isn't giving out the speech.

"I regret to inform you that our Master Cyclonis is gone."

Immediately, a large uproar begins, some actually depressed but most of the Talons is excited and demand new leadership. Each one demands that they should be leader, as Dark Ace predicted. Soon, some fists start flying around and a full-blown fight starts. The new leader groans with an eye roll and raises his weapon. When he fires, it gets everyone's attention. "Now I know you all want to be leader but there can only be one. And I nominate myself as the new leader."

"Why should you be leader?" one Cyclonian asks rudely.

"Because, I was Master Cyclonis's right hand man, give me high authority and also I have large experience of fighting techniques. If any of you want to be leader, then you can challenge me for the throne."

Everyone just stays standing, shuffling around and looking at others worriedly. The leader smirks and mutters, "Thought so."

"All hail Master Dark Ace!" one shouts.

Everyone follows and starts cheering with him. The skilled swordsman grins and dismisses them. As they leave, he grabs one Talon and says, "Wait right there. I have a special assignment for you."

"Uh, what is it, Master?" Commander Can't-figure-out-a-name-but-we'll-call-him-Scarfac e asks.

"I want you to take a small team and scour the entire Atmos for Cyclonis."

"But-but sir, you said she was dead."

"I said she was _gone_. I want to find out if she is still alive or not. When you do find her, wait for my next command."

"But, would it be easier to just bring her back if I do find her?"

Dark Ace starts to get irritated but then remembers something about this certain Talon. He smiles calmly and says, "You know, I've heard that you've been doing a lot around here lately."

"Actually, yeah. I have been."

"And all that work deserves some recognition."

"Oh, finally! Someone speaks the truth!"

"Yes. So here's the deal. If you follow my orders, we can discuss your well-deserved promotion."

"Really?" he asks hopefully.

When the master nods his head, Commander Scarface salutes and states, "I won't let you down, master," then leaves to collect a few trustworthy men. When he's gone, Dark Ace smirks darkly and chuckles with pure evil.

* * *

In the skies of Atmos, Stork slows down the Condor and breathes a sigh of relief. "So tell me, how'd it go?" he asks, turning to his friends only to find grim faces. "So the mission was unsuccessful?"

Piper says gloomily, "No, it went all according to plan. Unfortunately, Aerrow and Radarr…" She still couldn't believe it. She closes her eyes and looks down.

"You mean, they're d-d-d-d-dead?" the merb squeaks.

"Actually, we're not quite sure," reassures Finn, "They just disappeared in flash of light. There could still be a chance they are alive."

"If they disappeared in a flash of light, there's no chance of their survival. Tazmanan Leeches use bright light to blind their prey before swallowing them whole. Aerrow could already have been digested by now."

Junko stutters at the thought of his friend being digested then faints, knocking over the table full of books and equipment. The stuff flies across the room and dog-piles on the sharpshooter. The tactician flinches when Finn grunts in pain then says, "I'm positive Aerrow and Radarr wasn't eaten. The light came from the crystal that powered Cyclonis's machine. It exploded and Aerrow and Cyclonis disappeared."

Finn unburies his head and says, "Speaking of Cyclonis, now that she's gone, what do you think will happen to Cyclonia?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather not find out."

The blonde boy gets back on his feet, pushing some scraps off his shoulder. "Alright. Then what should we do now?"

Piper says firmly, "We're going to find Aerrow, that's what. I was able to snag a piece of the crystal just before we left." She lifts up a small, dull purple shard. "If I can figure out what type of crystal this is, then maybe I can find the same energy waves all over Atmos. Then we can pinpoint where Aerrow and Radarr is!"

"Alright! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a plan," Finn cheers.

"Stork, take us to Atmosia," she orders. The Merb heads back to the controls and steers the Condor in the direction of the popular Terra. He powers the engines and soon sends the ship speeding across the clouds. Piper stands next to the window and watches the clouds rush by. She mutters worriedly, "Aerrow, I hope you're alright."

* * *

Above a large, untouched jungle, large blue and black birds fly around, shrieking as they search for some easy fruit to eat. After an unsuccessful search, the unknown birds start circling back when a flash of bright light interrupts their flight, shocking them out of formation. As they fly away, the ball of light grows while shooting out zigzags of energy. Soon, the light collapses and blinks out of sight to be replaced with a body falling.

Aerrow screams as the tall trees rapidly moves closer. He searches around his person for something to slow down his fall but comes out with only his twin blades. Soon, he crashes into the huge leaves and starts bouncing on each one as he falls. When the leaves end, the redhead drops the rest of the way and crashes on the ground, sending a small plum of leaves up. Groaning, he slowly pushes himself up when high screeching catches his attention. Before Aerrow can find where it's coming from, something small and furry lands on his back. He groans in pain but looks up to find Radarr dazed. "Radarr, please get off of me."

The animal looks down and chirps in surprise but does what he asked. While getting up, the Storm Hawks leader rubs his spine, hoping the pain soothes out. When his back returns to normal, he asks, "What just happened?"

To answer, the blue creature shrugs his shoulder. That's when the redhead notices his new surroundings. Large foliage surrounds the duo with trunks shooting out here and there. Chirps and screeches of wild animals echo around, most the leader is clueless on what animal it may be. Above his head, he spots what looks like a black monkey but with four arms and frills running down its two tails. The monkey spots them and roars before swinging away.

"Uh, better question: Where are we? And where is everyone?" He turns back to his sidekick, who starts to get a frightened and worried look on his face.


End file.
